In today’s society which values a busy lifestyle it is easy to loose sight of our physical and mental health. Everyone you speak to complains about being tired and having too much to do. How do you know when what you are feeling is more than the “normal” exhaustion? How do you know when you are heading or already are having a burn out?

Left unchecked, a burnout can wreck havoc on your physical and mental health, your relationships and your job.

The first sign of a burnout is exhaustion. If you feel tired all the time, if sleeping doesn’t make you feel rested, If you feel completely drained of energy, you may want to start paying attention. This isn’t normal. This isn’t just living in the modern world.

The second sign is the lack of motivation. Of course, if you are feeling completely exhausted all the time, you may not want to do anything. It’s harder to get up in the morning because you aren’t looking forward to the day and this happens every day, not just once in a while.

The third sign is developing a negative mindset. When you are exhausted and have no motivation to do anything, it’s perfectly normal to start feeling cranky, frustrated and negative. Everyone experiences negative thinking from time to time, but its important to notice when it becomes your usual.

The fourth sign is lack of concentration. If you feel exhausted, have no motivation and are feeling down, it’s only natural for your brain to stop paying attention and to wonder. When our bodies are stress, it’s a natural reaction to concentrate on what it perceives has a threat. It’s supposed to help us deal with the problem at hand. The problem is that our bodies are designed to deal with short burst of stress, deal with the problem and find a solution. It’s not designed to be in a constant states of stress. You may feel forgetful and harder to remember things.

The fifth sign is finding it difficult to take care of yourself and your hygiene. You may be forgetting to take your daily medication and don’t really care. You may have a difficult time getting yourself in the shower and skipping on your usual routine, such as putting on makeup or hair routine. You just don’t have enough energy to care.

If you are heading or are already neck deep into a burnout, you may want to reach out to your family doctor. The important thing is that you recognize the sign and that you ask for help.